Chili Ranchero, A hidden diamond for mexican food

Here is my 2 cents on the food and a bit of chit chat. Fantastic!! if you are not afraid of real mexican food you must come here.  First the salsa and chips.

 Unfortunately they had to dumb it down for the the floridian unsophisticated taste buds. The salsa is homemade and great. The corn chips are fried to perfection. If you want the real deal be sure and tell them you need it authentic and spicy.
My entree was beef Enchilada Rojas.

 And folks it is shredded beef not the americanize ground beef that these other over price places serve up. Oh yes along with the rice refried beans. Do not be a barbarians and ask for black bean or whole bean.. They serve original authentic simple folks food. NOTHING on the menu was over 10 bucks. At least  at lunch time offerings.
Over all a great deal and meal.

The service was great.  They have been here for 10-15 years. So maybe the decor is not brand new or yuppified.
But you come here for the outstanding authentic cuisine and bang for your buck. Not to be wow by design or other entertainment..
So for a great value and good food this is the place.
Note they are located at the south end of a mall. Near the new chicken franchise  place( It starts with a Z)  .So come on down.

Duffy's, sports bar not bad food

Here is my 2 cents on the food. Then chit chat for all the bad stuff.

. I got the Philly cheese steak sandwich and the extra cost of onion rings. I was told everything is made on site. If so the onion rings were outstanding. big and crunchy a delight. The Philly was great . The menu said thinly sliced ribeye. I believe it. Saute onions and mushroom. Along with cheese. It was VERY good..I would order it again.
My server Angie did such a outstanding job.... The other personnel were top notch.

NOW LET START FROM THE OUTSIDE IN!!!!

If you are a disable War Veteran or handicapped person you must travel twice the distance to enter the front door. The disable stalls are located on the side near the delivery entrance.

Inside I requested my brandy separator. I was told NO! They had no Brandy. What full  bar runs out of brandy.
I ask for Appleton Rum. From Jamaica not far from Florida. Again NO.

Now the meal was very good, BUT value wise it suck. I had to pay $1.69 extra or so for onion rings.
And if you look at my picture of the cheese steak it was quite small. Plus not a lot of cheese.
This puny sandwich cost me $9.99. Value wise no.
Food was good but everything else... NOPE. Did not serve me as a patron.
I doubt I will use my hard earned funds here again..

Culvers, Pine Island, PASS

Well here is my 2 cents and some chit chat. I paid 15 bucks for a small drink and 3 piece cod dinner.  Worth the money???   NO. The drink was 1.69. If you added ice you are lucky to get maybe 8 ounces of fluid. (Yes I took it home and measured it).

Now the 3 pieces of cod were not too bad but they were on small size.  So So for value. I got green bean .. They tasted fine but were still crunchy. I guess more healthy for you. The cole slaw not to shabby. Creamy a bit sweet a bit tart. The roll was the best part. Plus cold fresh butter to add if desire. Thier tartar sauce was just ok nothing to remember. I forgot it already.

The personnel was ok  cordial at best with smiles.

This is my second visit and unless I get a 50% off coupon my last trip.

So if you want or love the burgers or ice cream check out other local places for a better deal.

Red Lobster, shrimp

Here is my 2 cents. I went back for the $16.95 all you can eat shrimp. 5 different flavors. I got fried,scampi and teriyaki. I loved the scampi, butter and garlic mmmm good. Teriyaki sweet and sticky. Fried cannot go wrong with fried.

. Plus easy to take home.. Rolls are great. The only problem is if you eat a bunch you must keep ordering it and have the server run back and forth.
So be nice and tip well.
The salad was a bit skimpy. and you only got sour cream/butter with a bake potato . Then again you are there to pig out on the shrimp. Over all a pretty good deal.
Service was good people fine.

Ruby Tuesday

Here is my 2 cents and some chit chat. Well for the past 2 months I have been clobbered with ads/coupon.  So I decided to use a coupon. 5 bucks off a 15 purchase. I ordered a sweet tea it was usual commercial  brand ok.  I must say the rolls were delightful. I even took some home.

I got the added salad bar. 2.99.

Everything looked good and fresh EXCEPT the mushroom. They need to be taken off and saute. They were past their prime. Beside the greens I tried 3 of their other salad.

First the potato salad, too much mayo not enough flavor. Add some green onion,then you are good to go. The pasta with ham again too much mayo not enough flavor. I tried something that had broccoli in it just plain nasty.. If you go stick with the lettuce and such.

I was adventurous. I got the cajun jambalaya pasta.

It was interesting 4-5 shrimp, chicken and sausage over spaghetti noodle. It was NOT spicy. It was ok. I took it home and after reheating it, it was actually much better.
Service was outstanding. Over all good.
The only bad part was some inconsiderate woman yakking loud on a cell phone. How rude.
Anyway I liked it and will be back for my birthday burger

Island Cafe on the Bay, Good vittles

Well here is my 2 cents and a bit of chit chat. I have seen write ups on this local eatery. They were mix. But the fried chicken was suppose to be good. It was.

I had the fried chicken, cole slaw, biscuit and sweet tea. First off the sweet tea was house brewed. I was disappointed not sweet enough for me. But maybe that's me.
AHHH but it got so much better. When the chicken arrived it was too hot to eat. So lather some butter on the biscuit and dive into the cole slaw.  Biscuit was light fluffy and delish. The house made cole slaw was delectable. I enjoyed it. You know fried chicken is good when eating it hot or cold.  I did both and it was thumbs. Who would know you 'd find good chicken on the bay.
This is easy to find, the views are nice and staff is outstanding. I hope to get back before the snowbirds monopolized   up the place.

Brooke Restaurant, Another great local eatery

Well folks here is my 2 cents on the food & some chit chat..... WOW I was so suprized at the large portion of fish. I have been passing by this none descript end of a small strip mall for too long. This was a Saturday lunch special. A cajun fried fish sandwich.

The filet could have made 2 sandwiches. Now it said cajun but it was down beaten for the unsophisticated  taste buds of floridian... Not really spicy.  But it was very tasty. It was fried to perfection. Tartar sauce was ok.  Cole slaw average. You have a choice of regular fries, fresh Amijo (potato chips)or waffle fries. Next time I will get the waffle fries.
Over all this was the best fish sandwich I have had in my 4 years of eating fish.( Lets note I have had more seafood in the last 4 years than in my entire life  ;-(. .....I am a meat carnivore by nature and choice...)

Plus the waitress and other staff did a outstanding. Thumbs up job. I will be back soon to try other entrees.